FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dramatic duo presents civil rights movement performances at Bates

LEWISTON, Maine -- The Stuart Sisters, a dramatic duo from Philadelphia, will present two performances of "A Brand New Day," an hour-long retrospective about the civil rights movement and the era of rock 'n roll, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, and 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall. The program is presented in conjunction with President Clinton's "One America" program (Oct. 4-8). The public is invited to attend free of charge, and parents are encouraged to accompany their children to either of the performances. For more information, call the Bates College Office of Affirmative Action at 207-786-6031.

The performance presents the audience a cross-section of the early 1950s beginnings of rock 'n roll in the context of the struggles, triumphs and disappointments of the civil rights movement. "As African Americans, we have felt the necessity to inform children and adults, both black and white, of our heritage, majesty, struggles and accomplishments. Knowing that theater and the media are tremendous vehicles for influencing minds, we felt we could positively capitalize on this by teaching, building self-esteem and transferring 'history' through story-telling theater," Ardie Stuart Brown and Patricia Stuart Robinson, the Stuart Sisters.

Brown and Robinson are sisters who grew up in West Philadelphia in a neighborhood called Down the Way. As educators and artists, and as founders and directors of The Spring School of the Arts, they have performed throughout the United States and Canada, featuring their Learning Through the Arts programs at festivals, museums, colleges and churches. The Spring School of the Arts, a non-profit organization founded in 1980, uses specialized classes in music, dance, drama and visual art.